What is Traffic Jam?

Traffic jam is a condition on road networks that occurs as use increases, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queue. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction between vehicles slows the speed of the traffic stream, congestion is incurred. As demand approaches the capacity of a road (or of the intersections along the road), extreme traffic congestion sets in. When vehicles are fully stopped for periods of time, this is colloquially known as a traffic jam.

How it can impact on the development of the country as well as our personal life?

Traffic jam is very common scenario in Dhaka city. It has become a regular feature in Dhaka city.

It is obstructing trade & commerce and our personal life as well. We can present below two examples of how traffic jam is causing hamper: 

       

Example # 01.  You can’t reach your destination without hamper of jam in Dhaka city. You must go out from your house before two or three hours to reach destination which is only 20 or 30 minute required. How much national time is wasting & how much economical activities are losing every day?

Example # 02. It was a horrible traffic jam. The tragic incident took place the day when a train rammed a bus at the Moghbazar level crossing leaving eight people severely injured and caused a four-hour gridlock. Violating the signal the bus tried to cross the railway lines, but, could not move any further due to a terrible traffic jam.

What are the causes lie behind traffic jam?

There are various causes of traffic jam such as:

There are more private cars than any other vehicles, which is one of the main reasons.

The numbers of old transportation are still in Dhaka city. They are illegal. They don’t have their fitness. But they are still running in the Dhaka city.

Besides there are big buses for highway travels. But now a day those buses also enter in the city in day time and occurring heavy traffic jam. 

Illegal parking is one reason for traffic jam. Cars, trucks and other vehicles are parked almost everywhere. Faulty traffic signaling systems, inadequate manpower and narrow road spaces and overtaking tendency of drivers create pro-longed traffic congestions. There are bus terminals not authorized by the traffic department and drivers do not go by traffic rules. VIP protocol maintaining is another reason for frequent traffic jams in the streets and divider problem in the city’s different important roads also causes congestion.

Unplanned road excavating on the same road by Water and Sewer Authority (WASA), Dhaka Electric Supply Authority (DESA), telephone and telegraph agencies without any integration among them is responsible for intolerable traffic jams. Besides, In any roundabout in Dhaka the plying CNG, rickshaw, bus, etc form multiple lines.  They do this to grab a tiny space out of sheer desperation. The thelawallahs, rickshaw pullers, CNG drivers, van pullers, and bus/truck drivers all vie for tiny spaces with noticeable aggression and utter disregard for others’ right of way. These obviously create serious problems such as unnecessary traffic holdup and minor fender bender incidences.  Most of time, I see that during jam traffic police just let one side go for like 5 minutes or more which increase the jam more. They should manage it more professionally; they could let go each side 1 minute.

Above all, vigilance on the part of the law enforcing agencies with an urge to save work hours of members of the traveling public can help ease the problem. Dhaka has limited road space. Till such time when road space will be increased, this limited space should be best utilized by strictly enforcing traffic rules and punishing rules violators.

We all should be united to make roads smooth & clean, widen the roads as needed, make proper footpaths, withdraw the rickshaws from bigger roads, provide signals as needed, make dividers as necessary, compel the drivers to abide by the road signals and regulations, eliminate illegal parking and illegal shops on road etc.

To reduce traffic jam we can take steps such as:

1. Good lane system.
2. Traffic police should do their duty properly.
3. Use zebra cross and foot over bridge.
4. Respect the law.
5. Good traffic system.
6. Government can shift all wholesale markets, government administrative offices, BDR Headquarter, Dhaka University, Dhaka central jail, all industries, tanneries, to outside of Dhaka city. Industrializations should be based on upozila it should not depend on metropolitan cities.
7. All import-export connected offices should go to near port areas of Chittagong or Mongla.
   
   
8. All offices should start at 7.30AM and all education institutes should start at 8 AM, Banking should start at 9 AM and all can be end within just 2.30 PM, 4.30 PM and 4 PM.
9. All main roads should be one way. All type car parking must band in all roads.
10. Sky train should implement in Dhaka city like Bangkok Singapore.
11. Population control must be implementing as very strictly like china, if we cannot control over the population the we cannot give the place to our next generation.
12. Service tripe must be generating two times in a day.
13. Invalid travel must be prohibited.
14. Pedestrian facilities should be increase.
15. Cycle path should be providing.
16. Proper planning and monitoring ensured.
17. Political interface must be avoided.
18. Increase street parking facilities.
19. New buses and more buses would be bought soon to discourage private cars on the streets.
20. The government should plans to construct flyovers, elevated expressways, underground rails, mono rails and ring roads in order to reduce traffic jam in the capital city.
21. RAJUK, DMP (Traffic) and BRTA, should work to control traffic movement and the government should instruct the concerned departments to take effective measures in order to ease traffic jam.
22. Students should use buses instead of using private cars, which significantly contributes to the traffic congestions in small areas."
23. Like other foreign cities we are planning to introduce Rapid Bus Transit (BRT) immediately on one route. Our artery roads have enough space to introduce a designated bus lane.
24. Metro rail and MRT might be costly but those are necessary to resolve the ongoing crisis.

Eventually In order to have a smooth city transportation system we think Dhaka City Corporation should consider expanding its public transport fleet-buses and double deckers. It has been proved very profitable in cities like London and Moscow. As Dhaka has introduced lane system, it should also consider allocating a tiny lane for Bicycles and it should launch a campaign to make it popular. If people start using bicycle for commuting short distances, this can hugely reduce pressure on buses, taxies and rickshaws. Besides this, cycling is good for environment as well as it can keep the city dwellers fit.

[Compiled]